Saint Brother André and the Virgin Mary
When studying Brother André’s words related to the Virgin Mary, three sets of questions can arise. I will address them one by one.
- What image does Saint Brother André have of Mary? What titles does he primarily give her?
For Brother André, Mary is, above all, the mother of his Savior, the mother of God. He comes to consider her as his own mother and the mother of all humanity. Several images of Mary emerge in the imagination of our brother. First, there is Mary in her role as the mediator of humanity before the heart of God. She is the all-powerful and Immaculate Virgin, the one who reigns in heaven and is the dispenser of graces. Then, there is Our Lady of Seven Sorrows, the one who accompanied Jesus throughout His life and who suffered with Him during His Passion. Finally, there is Mary during her earthly existence, as a member of the Holy Family, in her everyday life.
- How does Brother André address Mary?
It is mainly through the recitation of the Rosary that the holy brother addresses Mary. He says that the Rosary is his best weapon. He also enjoys singing hymns, canticles, or reciting prayers he learned on his mother’s knees. At times, he does not hesitate to improvise prayers.
- How does Brother André speak of Mary to those around him? What is the relationship between his devotion to the Holy Virgin and his other devotions?
Far from making Mary a deity, his devotion to Mary is part of a broader set of devotions, all oriented towards God and leading to Him. Brother André rarely speaks of Mary without referencing Joseph or the Child Jesus. Conversely, he does not speak of Joseph or the Child Jesus without speaking of Mary. This is what he calls the devotion to the Holy Family. For Saint Brother André, devotion to the Holy Family must, in turn, lead to devotion to the Holy Trinity. But in André’s mind, there is much more to it. The Trinity is not just an abstract or theological concept, nor a distant mystery that exists in heaven. It is also an earthly reality that is incarnated in the daily life of our lives and that each person can approach and appropriate through the example of the Holy Family. For Brother André, the Holy Family should lead us to a better understanding of the mystery of the Trinity. To see the Holy Family is, in a sense, to contemplate directly the mystery of the Trinity. Allowing oneself to be inspired and shaped by the life of the Holy Family is to follow and clothe oneself with Christ Himself. The Holy Family thus represents one of the privileged places of encounter between God and humanity. It is both the place where God becomes incarnate and the place that leads to His mystery.
